Chapter 28: Fate Brings Foes Together

Liu Chunyan was merely expressing her thoughts; in truth, it was impossible for her to give up. Even if she couldn’t take over her brother’s responsibilities this time, she intended to find another opportunity to collaborate with Chen Xin elsewhere, and she was even willing to invest directly in Chen Xin’s ventures—doing nothing all year except collecting dividends.

Speaking of dividends, Liu Chunyan was also somewhat irritated with her in-laws. Previously, she and her sister-in-law had partnered to buy a property; her family had contributed slightly more. Now, with her sister-in-law getting married, she insisted on selling the house. After deducting their initial investments, they made a profit of nearly fifty thousand. Liu Chunyan originally thought her family would get thirty thousand and her sister-in-law twenty thousand, but her mother-in-law spoke privately with her husband and decided to give the sister-in-law thirty thousand, leaving their family with only twenty thousand.

Liu Chunyan stayed silent, treating the extra ten thousand as a wedding gift to her sister-in-law. She promptly transferred the money from her husband and, during her visit to her parents, deposited it on their side, telling her husband upon returning that she was partnering in a business venture!

On the tenth day of the new year, Cheng Jie invited Chen Xin to bring Zhang Zhang over for a meal at her house near the small second-floor apartment, along with a few close friends. She arranged for everyone to eat at home and then head to the café to experience the atmosphere, coinciding with staff training, so they could conveniently conduct a training assessment.

Chen Xin had no objections to this arrangement. The trial batch of coffee wouldn’t have to be wasted, making it a win-win situation.

Those who came to Cheng Jie’s house for dinner were all young people in their twenties or thirties, most already married, with only two families having children. Together with Cheng Jie and Chen Xin’s little ones, there were four kids in total.

Zhang Zhang got along well with Cheng Jie’s daughter, Nan Nan; they were about the same age. Another friend’s daughter was two years older, and the youngest was only eight months.

Chen Xin transformed a corner of the café, covering six or seven square meters with foam mats and custom-made a lightweight wooden fence. The half-height fence posts were shaped like mushrooms, with no sharp protrusions, painted in bright colors beloved by children. On the foam mats stood a second-hand plastic slide salvaged from a nearby kindergarten.

The slide was no longer suitable for the kindergarten—an outdated model, and with so many kids of varying sizes, the teachers had to supervise every turn to prevent pushing and accidents. Left unsupervised, it could easily be toppled, injuring smaller children.

Chen Xin's space wasn't large to begin with; the slide took up a third of it. In the corner, she set up a playhouse lined with ten or so plush toys of various sizes.

This area was originally arranged especially for Zhang Zhang and Cheng Jie’s daughter, using only safe, non-toxic items. It proved useful now, offering temporary relief for the parents. Even the eight-month-old baby was left to crawl and play on the mat by his mother.

The two girls favored the dolls, Zhang Zhang enjoyed picture books, and no one touched the slide. Each child found their own spot to sit and play, except for the eight-month-old, who needed supervision.

Cheng Jie’s friends were worldly; many had tasted coffee, though most preferred tea. Chen Xin gave a live demonstration, teaching the staff to make classic American coffee and lattes—both foundational drinks that require skill to perfect. She taught hand-brewed and siphon coffee, where experience matters most. Chen Xin didn’t expect them to master these techniques immediately. Of course, the café had a professional coffee machine, which only required following standardized measurements—a necessity for cafés, though not favored by true coffee enthusiasts.

Most of the men opted for coffee. Among the women, only one chose an American, while the other two preferred lattes. For those less interested in coffee, Chen Xin made fruit tea.

She filled a beautiful glass teapot two-thirds full with diced fruit, added a few goji berries, poured in mineral water, and placed the pot atop a glass candle holder with a lit candle beneath to keep the fruit tea warm.

Besides the elegant fruit tea, Chen Xin prepared a special rose tea for Cheng Jie. The cup for the rose tea was also a delicately shaped glass; when hot water was poured in, the rose slowly bloomed, swirling up and down, creating a delightful visual spectacle.

"This rose isn't the best variety," Chen Xin remarked. "When I was abroad, I saw an edible rose so large that one bloom could fill a third of a glass. Deep red petals unfold gracefully, like ballet dancers spinning slowly—a true feast for the eyes."

Edible roses of such size were yet to be cultivated domestically; even the concept of floral teas was limited to chrysanthemum, jasmine, wintersweet, and osmanthus. These roses had been specially sourced by Chen Xin from their place of origin.

Chrysanthemum and honeysuckle teas were commonly regarded as medicinal drinks, their therapeutic effects stronger than their health benefits. Wintersweet and jasmine were usually brewed with green tea for their scent, while osmanthus was mostly used in jams and desserts.

On the subject of fruit and floral tea pairings, Chen Xin could write an entire book, yet no such book existed in the country at the time. After a while, everyone suggested Chen Xin contact a magazine or see if she could connect with a publisher about the possibility of releasing a book in this field. As journalists, they were familiar with publishing but not deeply versed in its intricacies, so it was best to ask someone directly from a publishing house.

Chen Xin considered it and agreed. It wasn't plagiarism; she was simply the first to compile the knowledge. Having extensively researched floral tea blends and their medicinal properties, she might not recall everything by heart, but she could certainly consult references and organize her findings without much difficulty.

She desperately needed money now—missing out on a source of income would be foolish.

They spent the afternoon chatting, and, led by Cheng Jie, found an old-style hotpot restaurant, ate until they were stuffed, then each family headed home.

Cheng Jie and her husband planned to take their child to stay at Cheng Jie's mother's house that night, so they dropped off Chen Xin and her niece and nephew on the way.

By the time Chen Xin had tidied up Zhang Zhang, changed his clothes, and tucked him into bed, it was already ten o’clock. Zhang Zhang, having played all afternoon, was exhausted—he'd been nodding off even during his bath, and as soon as he was under the covers, he slept like a little piglet.

After confirming all the doors and windows were secure, Chen Xin took a quick shower and hurried to bed, hugging her little piglet. In winter, he was like a small stove—especially warm and soft.

The next morning, Chen Xin woke early and went out to buy breakfast. Just as she reached the entrance of the alley, she bumped into someone.

"Why is it you again?" She looked up—sure enough, it was the same person who hadn’t watched where they were going last time!